


A Skywalker Sort of Love

by wyr_d



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Co-workers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romantic Comedy, Sarcasm, Sass, Slow Burn, i try to be funny but i'm not, i'm going to have fun with this, plus coffee shop/bookstore, rating to go up, roommate au that no one asked for, rotates POVs, yes kylo and hux are co-workers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-30 11:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6422371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyr_d/pseuds/wyr_d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skywalkers are good at many things, but one thing they aren't particularly good at is love. That is to say, when it comes to romantic relationships Skywalkers always seem to mess them up, and Ben Solo -- otherwise known as Kylo Ren -- is no exception to this particular Skywalker skill. </p><p>Good thing he definitely isn't in love with Brendol Hux II, the fiery haired accounting major who turns out to be a new hire at the bookstore cafe where Kylo works. It's probably also a good thing they are always at each other's throats because it's not like Kylo is in love with the slim man. No siree. He promises he doesn't check the ginger man out on a daily basis, why would he? And he totally doesn't struggle at showing his affection; the great Kylo Ren is perfectly good at showing his affection, right? </p><p>It's definitely also a good thing they are roommates and cannot seem to escape each other's presence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The Skywalkers were good at many things. Being really talented, _of course_ ; making a splash in history books, _sure thing_ ; striving for the greater good of the world, _no doubt_ ; being given terrible emotional trauma, _definitely_ ; overthrowing corrupt governments, _yes sir_. But when it came to love, well love was not a thing Skywalkers did well. Once upon a time, Kylo’s father had told him that a Skywalker love was as graceful as a drunk circus bear. The mental image had been rather disturbing for a ten year old boy, but the message had been broadcasted loud and clear. The Skywalkers were desperately horrible at romantic affairs.

While Ben Solo – or Kylo Ren as he preferred – had managed to not inherit any skills the Skywalker family was known for, he did manage to gain their abysmal romantic abilities (and the immense amount of emotional trauma – he had a lot of that to spare). Kylo had experienced his fair share of romantic affairs – if they even were qualified to be called that. He had experienced his first kiss in junior high with a girl whose name escaped him. She had been older that was for sure and she also had been in possession of a myriad of piercings that Kylo had thought made her look edgy. He had been jealous of the piercings, he remembered that much.

His first official romance had been with a clingy girl named Sava or something like that. She had been nice at first; always smiling at him with her bright blue eyes and luxurious blonde hair that Kylo had secretly admired. Plus she had been one hundred percent okay with calling him by his preferred name, that name being Kylo Ren. Ben Solo had disliked his given name to such an extent he had felt the need to concoct a new name that properly fit his rebel (dare he called it that) image. His peers and parents had been reluctant to use his alias and it wasn’t until he was in sophomore year that people finally accepted his preferred name choice. He smirked to himself, satisfied, upon remembering how people had finally bent to his will. It only took one summer of rigorous training and a perfectly timed growth spurt to gain the respect he desired from his peers. And he only had to beat up one person to obtain such respect! He wished everything could have been that easy.

Back to the point, Sava – or Sara or whatever her name was – had been totally okay with calling a freshman Ben by the name Kylo and that had been one of the main driving factors behind their relationship. Yeah, a sad reason to date a girl, but she had been more than willing so Kylo assumed the relationship would be just fine. And for a while it was. It had been a surprisingly long relationship that lasted until senior year before they flamed out two weeks before the prom dance. Kylo had been the one to break it off because he had become bored with the whole relationship thing.

It had reached a whole new level of tedious and he felt no need to keep the whole thing going anymore. People were already calling him by his preferred name and he no longer could find a reason to date the alarmingly clingy blonde (seriously, who steals your phone goes through your texts like that – that’s just plain weird). She seemed to be hanging around him because he had received a surge of popularity after his climb to power in his sophomore year. Well, if you could count gaining friends because people were scared of you _popularity_ then sure Kylo had been the most popular guy around. Kylo had long since figured the girl had been clinging to him because he had raised her status on the social ladder and he had tolerated it, but two weeks before the prom dance he found himself reaching his limit. So he had told her they were breaking up.

The girl had shouted and screamed and tried to slap Kylo (she had been much too short to properly reach him so no damage was done) and Kylo remembered walking away thinking women were not worth the struggle. He spent the rest of his senior year decidedly single and that did not bother him one bit. He had been too busy partying until he could no longer think and trying to pass all of his classes for romance anyways. It was obvious Kylo was no keener, he wasn’t shooting for the stars and he wasn’t planning for some long winded run in the post-secondary school system – despite his parent’s protests.

In his senior year, Kylo had formed a band with some friends (if he could call them that) and by the time he had graduated they were riding a mild wave of fame. Their success allowed Kylo to move out of his home and escape his parent’s ever watching and judging gaze. He spent most of his nineteenth year on the road and it was three piercings and one tattoo later that Kylo found his second love. This time it had been a man who became the object of his affection.

He remembered his name. Devan had been a gentle soul whose nose had always been buried in the bookstore’s books and he had always smelled faintly of coffee. Probably to be expected from the literary type. Kylo had met the boy when he took up a job at the local bookstore cafe in Seattle. Kylo and his band – the Knights of Ren – had settled in that town when they found a permanent gig in some hipster grunge bar. He disliked the scene, but their mild wave of fame had diminished as quickly as it had grown and it was the only solid gig they had. Despite being a solid gig, it did not pay near enough so Kylo had decided to apply for a secondary job at the kitschy bookstore cafe a block away from his equally kitschy apartment. One month in Seattle and Kylo had determined everything there was to be branded kitschy.

It was while working in that bookstore cafe that he had met Devan. A local boy who had been in his second year of a nearby college and had been majoring in classic literature. The two had inevitably bonded over their like for obscure bands and love of equally obscure books. A romance bloomed between the two eventually and Kylo had, according to Devan himself, swept Devan off of his feet during their brief stint of a romance. But like a classic Skywalker, Kylo ended up botching up the whole relationship and this time it was due to his excessive emotional trauma (that other Skywalker skill he had managed to obtain).

Apparently, Devan had found Kylo’s emotional instability, quote: “made him look like a fucking psycho” and the man had told Kylo to seek counselling before slamming the door in his face and moving cities (if his Facebook information was true). At first, Kylo had been bitter, but soon the rage ebbed away and was replaced by some sort of numbness. When Kylo was twenty years old he decided romance was not his thing and he figured following in his Uncle Luke’s footsteps in strict celibacy was not a bad idea. It was better than his father’s way of dealing with his failed romance with Kylo’s mother. Although sometimes Kylo thought getting piss drunk like his dad used to would not be a bad idea.

It also happened that the Knights of Ren lost their gig within two months of Kylo’s break up and that certainly had not helped his mood. The incident during their final performance had gained Kylo his third stint in a holding cell (don’t ask about the first two). After that the band broke up, to say the least, and everyone went off in their different ways. All of the band members ended up leaving the state except Kylo who found he could still pay his rent via his job at the bookstore. In the end, the steady band gig that he had been so proud of had paid less than he remembered if his bookstore job’s salary could pay his rent and his band gig couldn’t.

It was one year later that Kylo found himself where he is now: in the crowded hallways of the Business Education building. After some prompting by the manager of the bookstore, Kylo had enrolled in University because apparently if he wanted any sort of future career post-secondary education was the way to go. As it seemed, his parents _had_ been right all along, but he was not going to give them the satisfaction of letting them know that. Currently, Kylo was pursuing a marketing major as it melded well with his artistic talents and he had to grudgingly admit it was rather enjoyable. The only thing that was not enjoyable was his lack of spare income.

University tuition was bleeding him dry and he was in desperate need of a roommate or else he was sure he would not be able to make next month’s rent. Thankfully, his landlord, a gentle old woman by the name of Maz, had been kind enough to allow Kylo to find a roommate. It was this fact that had Kylo standing in front of the announcements bulletin board and trying to burn a hole in the dingy white walls with his scowl – or so it seemed. He was set to meet a student pursuing an accounting major by the name of Brendol Hux II who was supposed to be a potential roommate. Kylo would have snickered at the man’s name, but frankly he himself could not be one to judge since he was called Kylo Ren of all things.

While Kylo knew he needed a roommate, he was not all over the idea of having someone invading his personal space. All of the roommate candidates he had met so far were anything but appealing to him; they were all either too eccentric or too sketchy and, while he would not admit it, this Brendol Hux II fellow was his only hope. The accounting major student had been the last person on his list of options – who really wants to share a room with a stuffy accounting student – but after all of his preferred choices had turned out to be duds Kylo found himself having no other choice.

“Are you Kylo Ren?”

Kylo snapped out of his thoughts instantly and shifted the target of his scowl. The man who peered up at him was slightly shorter than him and had the most blindingly red hair that Kylo had ever seen. Currently, that hair was slicked back in the most severe hairstyle Kylo had ever laid eyes on and he frankly could not help but wonder if it was painful. He examined the man from head to toe before responding. As it seemed, Brendol Hux II was all clean lines and perfectly pressed slacks.

“Yes, I am him.” Kylo responded in the most bored tone he could muster. Brendol narrowed his eyes at him before nodding with an almost military sharpness.

“Good, I am Brendol Hux the second, but simply Hux will do.” The smaller man stuck out a hand in offering to Kylo and Kylo stared at it for a good few seconds before crushing the petit hand in his strong grip.

“Nice to meet you simply Hux.” Kylo stated, the slightest of smirks tickling the edges of his lips. This earned a scowl and a snort from the smaller man. While pissing off this red haired man would probably be a bad idea, Kylo could not help but attempt to push his buttons as he looked like such a stickler. He would’ve been the person Kylo would have teased in high school for his immaculate disposition and never ending love for the rules.

“Ha, ha, ha, very funny. Now may I see this apartment you have for rent?” Hux met Kylo’s mirth filled gaze with a flinty one and Kylo amended his previous thoughts. Hux probably would not have just been the type Kylo would have teased in high school, he would have been his rival. More like probably _will be_ his rival.

“Sure,” Kylo stated, peeling himself off of the wall and slipping into business mode. “It’s rather close to the campus which you probably will like.”

Hux said nothing but nodded absentmindedly and fell into step with Kylo as they walked towards Kylo’s apartment. The walk was entirely uneventful. Usually Kylo grilled his potential roommates with the cold dispassion of an interrogator (he figured if he could make a career of interrogation he’d be a damn good interrogator), but he felt the appearance and aura Hux seemed to be giving off was enough to seal Kylo’s opinion of him. He did not seem to be a drug dealer in secret nor did he seem to be some sort of person who would try to rearrange Kylo’s furniture because his current layout did not go with his flow of chi or whatever. No, Brendol Hux II looked as average as they came and Kylo never figured he would be actually happy because of this, but he was.

The walk to his apartment was a short one and Kylo quickly climbed the flight of stairs to the second floor to unlock his apartment: room 2D. Hux trailed behind, taking the stairs with delicate grace that almost made Kylo want to roll his eyes. He hoped this man did not do everything with that same slowness and patient perfectionism. Hux stepped inside the apartment and he glanced around at the bohemian flat Kylo called his home.

Books were piled on a tall oak bookshelf that was tucked into the far wall and they spilled onto the small side table that was tucked neatly beside the faded yellow couch. There was a Turkish rug his Uncle had bought for him years back under a scuffed coffee table that was also currently littered with books and an abandoned coffee mug (ah so that’s where his Darth Vader mug had gone). An aquarium sat beside the rather dated TV and an expansive window was nestled into the wall to their left – the wall that faced the street below. The living room had been set up around this window and Hux’s eyes travelled from the left of the long room to the right.

The right side of the room was where the kitchen was. Kylo enjoyed that the flat was an open floor concept because it made it easy for him to entertain guests. Well, not that he had entertained guests in a while, since his fellow bandmates had all moved away he found himself with a lack of friends and it was rather hard to throw a party when your only contacts were work colleagues. Hux’s eyes raked over the rather dated kitchenette and rested on the few dishes littering the sink. The oak floorboards creaked as Kylo led him deeper into the apartment – to where the rooms were.

A small and rather narrow hallway off the kitchen/living area led to the two bedrooms and the one bathroom that the house had. Kylo did not speak as he opened the door of the currently empty room Hux would be taking if he chose to accept Kylo’s rental offer. The room was rather spacious and had a window overlooking the park the apartment complex backed on to; Hux had stopped for the briefest of seconds to examine the view. The tour continued in silence as Kylo led Hux into the bathroom they would have to share. It was old, but Maz had put some work in sprucing it up so it had a sort of eclectic feel that Kylo had grown accustomed to. It was not until Kylo had led Hux back into the living room did he finally speak.

“So, is it to your standards?” he asked, he was expecting some sort of indignation at the state of the flat since Hux seemed like the sort of guy who would have some arbitrary standards everything in life had to meet. The fact that not even one hair was out of place on Hux’s ginger head was where this particular assumption was stemming from – the immaculate clothing is what sealed the deal. The ginger man just pursed his lips in thought before nodding sharply.

“It will do yes.” He responded tightly before his eyes roved around the room and landed on the discarded coffee mug on the coffee table. Kylo smirked to himself as he watched the man fidget, obviously trying to repress the urge to clean the mess he was currently viewing.

“I am glad to hear that simply Hux.” Kylo stated, his smirk widening as Hux sent him an unmasked glare. There was something amusing about getting under this man’s skin. Despite his obvious annoyance, Hux said nothing against Kylo’s rather hilarious joke – or at least he thought it was hilarious. Returning to his serious nature, Kylo turned to grab a copy of the rental agreement Maz had given to him earlier this week.

She had given him numerous copies as Kylo had been expecting to give out quite a few, but the pile was untouched since he had deemed none of the previous renters he interviewed anywhere near his standards. Heck, there was one guy he never brought one block near the flat because he had been so darn creepy. Kylo gingerly picked up one copy of the rental agreement and thrust it into Hux’s hands.

“A copy of the rental agreement. You can look it over and get back to me if you are interested in renting here.” Kylo stated in a bored tone. Hux just raised on well-groomed eyebrow, but said nothing more. They exchanged conversational pleasantries before Hux slipped away and Kylo was left wondering if the red haired man would ever return. Something about him interested Kylo. While he could not really place what in particular about the relatively short, red haired man had caused his interested to be piqued, but he found himself following the ginger’s form as he made his way out onto the busy streets then vanished from view.

In his absence, Kylo found his eyes turning to the abandoned mug and clutter caused by his myriad of books. It was then, after Hux’s departure that Kylo tided up his living room. As he did so, he tried to convince himself it was not because of the ginger man he was doing this. No, he was not trying to please this man in any way and, no, Hux’s obvious hatred for his clutter did not prompt him into action. Yes, the living room may have been like this last week and the week before that, but it had not been Brendol Hux’s appearance that made him wish to clean. Brendol Hux II was just a fellow business student and a possible roommate, nothing more and nothing less. Kylo definitely did not think of the effect the man had on him and he definitely did not think about Hux’s fiery and attractive hair and slim waist.

No, he definitely did not think about that at all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it's me, and ~~I was wondering if after all these years we could-- //is kicked~~ I'm back with another series/fic/idk. I don't usually have two series rolling at once, but I got very inspired to write this so here I am. This one is more uhh freestyle (??) than my other fic because I have less of a set story plan. Anyhow I'll stop talking now.
> 
> Thanks for reading the first part, more to come soon (I hope), and have a shameless plug where I say you can follow me on my fandom [tumblr](http://theriseofthefirstorder.tumblr.com/) (I promise I won't bite; I'm a friendly nerd).


	2. The Worst Idea Yet

**Kylo:**

Kylo Ren seemed to be particularly good at coming up with bad ideas. His first bad idea had taken place when he was only a toddler of four years old. Well, it wasn’t one hundred percent his bad idea as it had partially been his father’s fault for giving a toddler a fork and letting him roam the areas of the house where all the electrical plugs were uncovered. It had been Kylo’s mother’s impeccable danger sense that had stopped that disaster waiting to happen.

He had fully uncovered his talent at bad ideas later when he entered school and he had multiple scars and multiple memories of trips to the principal’s office to prove it. One of his more recent bad ideas had involved a quote: “miracle pancake flipper” that he had bought on amazon one month ago when he was drunk (only a little bit, he promises). His sober-self had received the package to discover the pancake flipper was neither a miracle nor good at flipping pancakes (it had one job); as it seemed its only ability was being a lie dressed like a pancake flipper. Sometimes, Kylo Ren could feel his faith in humanity waning.

Anyhow, back to the point, Kylo Ren was very good at making very bad decisions and currently he was cursing this fact. Much to his pleasure (at the time), Hux had returned only a day later with a signed copy of the rental agreement in hand and his luggage in the other. Apparently, the man needed a place to stay pronto and Kylo’s rental offer had been the best option. The first few weeks of living with Brendol Hux the second had been okay. Kylo soon discovered the man liked to get up at ungodly hours (like seven a.m., who the hell gets up at seven a.m.?) and go for runs in spandex work out suits.

Kylo promises he did not check Hux out when he came back from his run in his tight fitting clothes, no siree. Also he definitely did not choke on his cereal when he had first laid eyes on Hux in a tight fitting workout suit. And he totally did not think about how attractive the man had looked sweat soaked and still panting. For once in his life, Kylo found himself thanking Lululemon and it’s over priced yoga pants because Hux looked damn fine in them.

Hux also seemed to enjoy making smoothies for himself at random hours of the day. Sometimes he’d make one to take on his jog with him and other times he would make one after his jogging was done. It was when he turned on the fruit and vegetable murdering machine at 6 a.m. that Kylo thought he was going to strangle the petit man. He did not like his precious beauty sleep torn to shreds by the sound of strawberries being mangled. While all these things were mildly irksome to Kylo, he found he could live with them and he put up with the odd little quirks of Hux’s he had discovered.

The real trouble started three weeks after Hux had moved in. Apparently Hux was a perfectionist to an extent Kylo had never thought was humanly possible. Kylo discovered the exact level of Hux’s perfectionism while helping Hux unload the dishwasher one fine Saturday morning before he had to slip off to work. Never in his life had Kylo been a man of perfection and while he unceremoniously flung cutlery into the cutlery drawer he had felt the eyes of Hux on him – burning holes into his shoulders. Kylo pretended to ignore the heated stare the man was giving him, but after a few seconds he gave in and turned to face the scowling ginger man.

“Is there a problem?” Kylo asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Or do you think my shoulders are that mystifying you must scowl at them?”

Hux snorted that little snort he always made when he was annoyed or thoroughly unamused (Kylo would know since Hux had made that noise whenever Kylo attempted to make some sort of bad joke).

“What do you think you are doing?” Hux replied, answering Kylo’s question with a question as his eyes flashed upward to meet Kylo’s gaze. Kylo was not sure how to respond and a question was forming on his lips, but Hux quickly cut him off by speaking yet again. “Were you raised by monkeys or something? Can you not see there is a system in place? Put the forks with the forks and the spoons with the spoons. It’s not really that hard so I am sure even you could do it.”

That sent Kylo’s mood plummeting (which was quite a feat in itself since Kylo had been relatively pleased today because he had gotten the view of Hux in the black running uniform – his personal favorite).

“Excuse me?” Kylo growled. “Did you just call my parents monkeys?”

Kylo was now glaring at Hux as he felt his anger spiking to levels he did not wish to explore this instant lest he punch the wall and put yet another dent in the drywall. While Kylo may dislike his family, the monkey dig was one that particularly annoyed him as it reminded him of his grade school years where he was constantly teased for his ear size. Hux just stiffened his jaw and tilted his head upwards to meet Kylo’s annoyed gaze with one of repressed annoyance.

“Yes indeed I did.”

“Listen here _simply Hux_ ,” Kylo stated, acid lacing his tone and he felt pleasure wash through him as a muscle in Hux’s jaw twitched slightly at the (still rather hilarious) nickname. “I can put the cutlery away whichever way I want as long as it makes it in the drawer.”

And is if to make good on this threat, Kylo grabbed the little basket used to hold the cutlery and upended it into the drawer – watching as the spoons, forks, and knives tumbled into the drawer with a loud clang. Before Hux could get another word in edgewise, Kylo was slamming the drawer closed, grabbing his toast where it had been abandoned on the counter, and was storming out of the flat to head to work (he didn’t care in this instance that he would be at least a half an hour early to his shift). He remembered Hux’s shriek of annoyance and rage following his footsteps as he hastily made his way down to the main floor.

It had been two weeks since that incident and things had only progressively gotten worse. Kylo had found himself a wits end with the man constantly and he debated kicking Hux out, but his need for money outweighed his need for peace. Without Hux around he definitely would not be able to pay for his rent and he doubted he would find any quality tenant especially after the people he had met in his recent roommate hunt. He shuddered at the memory.

Kylo had confirmed that deciding to accept Brendol Hux II as his roommate was the worst decision he had made yet and that’s saying something since it was pitted against the toaster incident (seriously, don’t ask). The only places Kylo found solace from Hux’s adamant nitpicking was at school or at work and sometimes if he slammed his bedroom door hard enough Hux would leave him alone. Despite being in the same program, Hux and Kylo rarely talked to each other and Kylo liked it like that because he was sure if he did try to talk to Hux, the older man would bring up yet another of Kylo’s errors.

Now, as Kylo was at work, he found the anger he had repressed thrumming through his blood – an after effect of the heated argument he had shared with Hux only an hour prior. This time, the petit man had been furious about the fact Kylo had not put the tea cozy back over the tea pot. Kylo had just rolled his eyes and swept out of the apartment before the ginger could fully enter his obviously previously planned tirade. Honestly, who uses tea cozies anyways? What the hell did they even do? And why does it even matter that much? Right there and then Kylo decided when he got home the first thing he would do was burn that damned tea cozy and make Hux watch.

Despite being frustrated, Kylo did not let that emotion seep into his job. While he was rather abysmal at controlling his anger, he managed to keep it under wraps while he worked by using a tight smile and clenching his jaw to hide is annoyance. If he was unable to do this, he probably would have strangled a customer by now and long lost his job. Some of the customers he had to deal with deserved to be strangled if he was honest.

He was surprised to find how calm he could be when he dealt with the people who felt personally offended when pumpkin spice lattes weren’t offered year round. And he was surprised he didn’t launch over the counter and attack the people who would try to get a refund for a book just because they quote: “did not like the ending.” Not every customer was a nuisance though, and after his years of working here he found himself on first name basis with many of the regulars. He knew a little about each customer who would regularly purchase coffee or books from the First Order Bookstore and Café and he prided himself in remembering each minute detail about them.

Kylo was not particularly ashamed to admit he enjoyed his job and the people that came with it (despite the few who set him on edge). His co-workers and customers were generally friendly and he handled things around the shop with relative ease. This was probably one of the reasons he had been promoted to assistant store manager. The owner and head manager, Snoke, trusted Kylo with his business and Kylo found himself pleased with the acknowledgement the wizened owner gave him.

Today, he was particularly excited because he was going to meet a new employee Snoke had hired earlier this week. It was the first time he would be training someone and, despite the rage that flitted through him, he felt something akin to joy surging about in his stomach. He had yet to be given the name of the person Snoke had hired as the owner had forgotten to give it to him, but he figured he would find that out soon enough. Glancing up at the clock, he found his excitement bubble to the surface of this thoughts as he realized it was almost time for the new hire to arrive.

The door made a jingling noise as it was opened and Kylo turned his head in the direction of the noise; hoping that the person stepping through that door would be the new employee. His anticipation was crushed and his hesitant smile was smashed into smithereens as he saw who had entered the shop. Brendol Hux II. Did that damn man have to follow him everywhere? Wasn’t torturing him at home enough?

Their eyes met across the room and a sneer formed on Hux’s features as his eyes raked up and down Kylo – as if judging him. And suddenly Kylo felt self-conscious in his usual work uniform. Hux kept Kylo’s gaze as he made a point of walking to Mitaka’s cash register rather than his. It took all of Kylo’s effort to not roll his eyes at Hux’s obvious pettiness. Like seriously, it’s not as if Mitaka could make a better coffee than Kylo. As a matter of fact, Kylo had been called the speciality coffee wizard by his customers before. Someone had even called him the Jedi of the coffee world once, so frankly it was Hux’s loss. He was missing out on Kylo’s mad drink making skills.

It came to a shock to Kylo when the ginger man did not order a coffee, but rather asked Mitaka who the manager was. The mildly repressed rage Kylo had felt early surged forward yet again. Was Hux going to complain about something? Honestly, he hadn’t even _purchased_ something yet let alone talk to one of the workers. Kylo half expected Hux wanted to complain that the alignment of the open sign was off and of course that was an affront to humanity. The words that Hux uttered next were not at all what Kylo had been expecting.

“I need to speak to the manager; I was just recently hired and today is my first day of training. I was informed there was an assistant manager here to train me.”

Kylo’s jaw dropped as he gawked at Hux, if the man noticed he did nothing because he was making a point of not meeting Kylo’s gaze. Mitaka nodded and then glanced over at Kylo, it was his glance that had Kylo’s mouth snapping closed and he stood up straighter, slipping into his I-am-the-manager mode.

“Yes, that would be me; I am the manager on duty today.” Kylo stated, slipping into their conversation easily. The expression that crossed over Hux’s features could only be described as a mash between shock and disgust. Hux looked Kylo up and down for the second time since he had stepped through the shop’s doors and his sea green eyes rested on the pin on his apron that announced his status as assistant manager.

“I see. Well then Kylo Ren, I am to be under your tutelage.” Hux responded, he made sure to stumble over Kylo’s name and made an act of squinting at Kylo’s name tag as if he didn’t already know him. Kylo tried his best to not roll his eyes at the ginger man’s response. Who the hell used tutelage in a sentence like that? Obviously Brendol Hux the second did.

“Hmm, well step around the counter and join me in the back Mr.…” Kylo paused, trailing off slightly and tapping his chin thoughtfully – two could play the “I don’t know you” game. “I am sorry I don’t think I caught your name.”

Hux clenched his teeth as he glared at Kylo, Mitaka caught in between the two of them looking as helpless as ever.

“You know my name you asshat.” Hux hissed, narrowing his eyes at Kylo.

“Oh right, how could I forget? Mr. Simply Hux please join me around back so we can start your training.” Kylo stated, before turning and waving Unamo over to take control of his till while he began training with Hux. Kylo did not need to turn and look back over at Hux to know he would be fuming with silent anger. Only did he turn to look at Hux when the man chose to speak. As he swept past Kylo into the back room, Hux decided he wanted to be the one to get that last laugh.

“Just so you know, your open sign is sagging slightly to the right. You may want to fix that, unless you think this establishment is only worth an unkempt open sign then by all means ignore my statement.”

Kylo scowled at Hux’s back as he disappeared into the back room; that was such a typical Hux move. As he stomped to the front window to adjust the sign, Kylo could not help but think this whole endeavour was going to be a nightmare. How the hell was he going to train Hux without wanting to poke his eye out with one of the straws they offered for their cold drinks? Kylo was sure he was going kill someone if Hux’s aggravating attitude kept up.

The tea cozy was _so_ being burnt to a crisp tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had too much fun writing this chapter! The simply Hux joke resurfaces because I am trash for bad jokes and some of ya seemed to like it.
> 
> Also the fic will rotate between Kylo's POV and Hux's POV.


	3. One Coffee, Black like My Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Hux swears like a sailor near the end of the chapter.

**Hux:**

He stared down the coffee machine, willing it to cook the premium dark roast the First Order Bookstore and Café served faster. The machine regrettably did not understand the silent stares he was giving it and, if anything, seemed to interpret them as a reason to slow down rather than a reason to speed up. It was as if the machine was flattered to have gained Hux’s attention and was moving slowly just so it could keep it – a wholly unrealistic thought as machines felt no emotion. Unless this coffee maker held the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, but Hux highly doubted that because the thing seemed to be dumber than a brick. He had to hit the “ready to roast” button at least four times before the machine decided to start, but frankly the action was somewhat satisfying; pounding your finger on the little smiley face ingrained into the button helped him gain some sort of relief, especially when he imagined the smiling face as Kylo’s face.

Currently, Kylo Ren was lingering behind him like some sort of immobile statue as he stared down Hux’s back to make sure he was doing everything correctly. It took all of Hux’s self-control to not roll his eyes. He had been working at the First Order Bookstore and Café for almost a month now, but Kylo still felt the need to make sure Hux was handling everything okay. He was just roasting coffee for Pete’s sake – this wasn’t rocket science – he did not require the taller man’s constant supervision. He was quite capable at brewing coffee without setting things on fire thank you very much.

He tried to distract himself from the awkwardness that was creeping along his spine and causing a slight sweat to breakout on his neckline. Having Kylo’s attention like this made Hux’s heart do some weird sporadic movements and he wondered if he was having some sort of heart complications. His heart was moving like it did when he was doing his warm-ups before he ran and that frankly unnerved him. Of course, it would be his luck that he collapses from some sort of heart failure in front of the man who was causing him so much grief at the present moment. It was also just his luck that he ended up getting hired at the same café Kylo worked at and, to make everything better, the man was a damn manager who Hux had to work under.

Oh his life was just _peachy_.

Go to college, they said; it will be fun, they said; the people there are different, they said; everyone is more mature, they said. As it seemed Hux was surrounded by liars. Kylo Ren was certainly not more mature than half of the students Hux had met in high school and he also seemed to dress no different either. Black shirts, ripped jeans, long hair, and those stupid two dollar buttons you found at a Hot Topic seemed to grow off of the man and Hux wondered if he was perpetually stuck in his high school days – like a car jammed in neutral, going nowhere.

If Hux had any sense of foresight, he would have never agreed to room with the insufferable man, but Hux’s rush to leave his past living arrangement had clouded his judgement. Now he was scowling at the coffee machine as his mind lingered in places he’d rather it not go. Memories flashed through his mind and it took all of his strength to not punch the coffee machine as it choked on the last few drops of coffee it was procuring. Honestly, this café needed to upgrade its damn coffee machines.

“Okay, since it’s done you can remove the carafe.” Kylo stated, as if Hux was unaware of that.

Grumbling to himself, Hux snatched up the coffee carafe and turned around abruptly – causing Kylo to jump back slightly so Hux did not enter his personal space. Hux pushed past Kylo over to where the cups were and poured a medium cup of coffee for the patient business woman standing behind the counter. He shot her a quick smile before he handed her the Styrofoam up with the café’s logo and name imprinted on it.

He was just about to ring her through, but before he could even press one button on the register Kylo was back to lurking behind him like the shadow Hux never asked for.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Kylo asked and Hux could not help but wonder if the man was patronizing him.

“Yes, of course I can use a cash register Kylo and you would know this if you would just let me ring through a customer without _stepping in_.” The glare Hux sent Kylo was icy and this caused the man to step back a bit, hands in the air as if surrendering.

“Just trying to help.”

“Yeah sure you are.” Hux growled in response before snapping his attention back to the customer and sending her a tight smile. He rattled off the price of the coffee while he typed the amount into the register and cursed Kylo for making him frustrated in front of a customer. The lady seemed patient enough and did not seem put off at all by Hux and Kylo’s rather venomous banter. As Hux handed her the change she was owed, the lady nodded, smiled, and opened her mouth to speak.

“Don’t worry, everyone has those moments in their relationships.” She stated, only loud enough for Hux to hear. “Just don’t dump him, he’s a keeper.”

And with that said she had taken her coffee and vacated the shop, leaving Hux shocked and blushing. He noticed Kylo squinting at him out of the corner of his eyes, but he paid him no heed as he turned to return the carafe to its original resting place. Had that lady really thought that he and Kylo were– no it cannot be. He slammed the carafe back into its place and scowled in an attempt to pass off the red touching his cheeks as a frustrated blush.

In truth he was frustrated. How dare that woman assume they were in a _relationship_ of all things; the thought itself made him feel sick. Well, Kylo Ren was not that bad looking and Hux could even go as far to call the man attractive, but still he was annoying and annoying didn’t really fit with Hux’s aesthetic. Or so he kept telling himself. Either way, Hux was not really even on the market right now. He was still coming to grips with his last romantic affair and the fallout that had occurred as a result.

Now his scowl deepened and was no longer forced. He shoved that memory away – he did not want to think about that now. Hux pulled his thoughts back on track and returned them to focus on the rage he felt towards Kylo. Why was he mad at him again? Correction: did he really _need_ a reason to be mad at him? The default emotion Hux felt for Kylo Ren was anger anyways so it was only natural for him to be enraged at the black haired man. Correction: he black haired man who was confusedly staring at him.

“Do you need something Kylo?” Hux asked sharply.

“Not particularly, but I am just wondering why you’ve been scowling at the coffee machine like that.” Kylo responded. “You are looking at it like it has murdered your family or something.”

Hux harrumphed and crossed his arms across his chest as he turned to look at the black clad man who was currently leaning against the food display cabinet.

“I’ll make sure to apologize to it then if I’ve managed to hurt its feelings by scowling at it.” Hux stated snidely.

Kylo just tilted his head slightly and something like a smirk passed across his features before it was replaced by a neutral expression.

“You better apologize, it’s a rather sensitive piece of equipment.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed. It doesn’t like to brew anything in a timely fashion at all.”

“It’s just misunderstood.”

“Well then you two would be great friends as you have that whole ‘I’m a misunderstood emo child’ vibe going on.” Hux gestured to Kylo’s clothes to further prove his point. Kylo just glanced down at his black outfit and then glanced back up to scowl at Hux.

“I’ll have you know black outfits are required here.”

“Yes, but as it seems you went the extra mile with the ripped jeans and studded belt – hell I didn’t even know they even sold those things anymore. I thought they were taken off the market because they were a crime to fashion. Also the studded bracelet is a nice touch; it goes very well with the screamo band t-shirt. You know, you could just wear some black slacks and a black button up like I did. Or hell, just a plain black tee and black jeans would do the trick.”

“I’ll have you know that this band does not do screamo at all. It is a grunge band from the 90s.”

Hux rolled his eyes.

“Either way it looks like you are going to ask the customers if they would like a coffee black like your soul or something.”

Kylo scowled at Hux and pursed his lips in annoyance. He looked like he wished to say something more, but ended up choking down the words. The ding of the bell that announced a customer waiting at the till pulled Hux and Kylo apart as the younger man went to deal with the new arrival.

“One light roast pronto!” Kylo called from the till and Hux inclined his head in recognition. Hux huffed to himself as he tried to get the coffee machine working properly and he forced his annoyed scowl onto the uncooperative piece of machinery. As it seemed, everything here despised him.

\------

Phasma snorted into her drink as Hux recalled the events of his day to her over the calamari appetizer they were currently sharing. Hux sent her a withering gaze.

“It is _not_ funny.” He stated firmly.

“Oh but Hux dear it _is_ funny.” She responded, her usually stoic face crinkling with lines of laughter.

The dim light of the bar they were currently sitting in sent light crisscrossing across the wooden floors and the tall, blonde woman who was currently chuckling at Hux’s expense as it filtered in from the slowly dwindling daylight. It was late March and spring had come early this year, blessing Seattle with sunlight and greenery. Hux hated it. The sun was always too harsh on his skin and the blooming plants made him sneeze. He preferred fall or winter to spring and summer.

The artificial light the light fixtures of the bar emitted added a warm glow to the establishment making Hux think of cozy fires and late nights spent reading. He would admit he found this bar, dubbed the Finalizer, rather homey and felt most comfortable when he was here. He and Phasma tended to visit this bar whenever they made their way into town for a night out and tonight was one of those rare nights they spent on the town. 

It was Friday night so the Finalizer was rather busy. Numerous patrons were sprawled over barstools or sitting at little tables like Hux and Phasma were; adding to the noise and ambience of the place. When Hux realized his scowling was going to get him nowhere with Phasma he turned his head to stare at the stage that was to host a guest musician tonight.

Friday also meant music at the Finalizer and the bar owner always brought someone new in each week. There were some musicians who regularly played at the bar and Hux had since gotten familiar with them, but tonight there was no sign announcing who was playing so he was not sure what kind of musician would take the stage. He just hoped it wasn’t one of those hipster weirdos who liked to belt out their awful attempts at music that sounded more like tone deaf poetry.

“Oh come on Hux. I’m sorry, but just—” Phasma chuckled again before calming herself. “Sorry, it’s just this roommate of yours sounds horribly funny.”

“If you were in my position I would say you would not be finding this funny at all.” Hux snapped, narrowing his eyes at his friend. She just smiled sheepishly in response.

“Well, he certainly seems to have quite the tongue on him. All of your stories involving him are rather amusing to some degree you must admit. Like that time with the cutlery--”

Hux cut her off before she could fully recall the famed cutlery story – the incident that had caused all this animosity.

“Yes, yes, yes, the cutlery story was hilarious to you how wonderful.” Hux hissed and paused for a few seconds before he sighed to himself. He snatched his scotch and knocked it back before continuing – already feeling exhausted. “I am just sick of all of this hatred and sarcasm. It’s starting to grate on my nerves.”

Phasma snorted.

“What _doesn’t_ grate on your nerves my friend?” She took a sip of her martini and raised an eyebrow at him in the process.

Hux sent her yet another withering glare as he flagged down a waiter for a refill of his drink; he was going to need a lot more liquor to help him forget his frustrating day at work. 

“Well, I would say a statement of cash flows would certainly not grate on my nerves.” Hux stated tactfully.

“Of course, only you would enjoy one of the hardest concepts of basic accounting.” Phasma responded dryly.

Hux shrugged and took a sip of his refilled drink. He would have done one hundred statements of cash flows if it meant he would not have to put up with Kylo Ren and his barbed words.

“I’ve heard a lot about this Kylo Ren fellow, but frankly I have no idea what he looks like.” Phasma said as she took a piece of squid and popped it into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully all the while intently staring at Hux. Hux had known the tall blonde long enough that he knew this was her way of asking a question without directly asking it. He sighed to himself as he tried to come up with the words to describe Kylo Ren.

“Well he’s….tall, has dark hair, rather pale, always wearing black, and uh he’s….well I guess he’s relatively good looking.” Hux almost choked on the words and needed to take a rather large gulp of his liquor to stop himself from blushing. Why he felt awkward admitting Kylo Ren was slightly attractive he did not know, but the act left him feeling all tingly – he blamed it on the liquor.

“Hmm, sounds like your type.”

Hux started coughing, he had been mid drink when Phasma had spoken and now he truly was choking. After he managed to regain the ability to speak he levelled Phasma with a look of shocked incredibility.

“You aren’t serious?”

“Do I look like I am joking?” Phasma peered over at him, her face in its usual expression of firm seriousness.

Hux scoffed and shook his head.

“In the five years we have been friends, have you learned nothing about my taste in men?”

“I’ve learned your taste in men is rather bad, especially after the last one.” That earned her a glare. “What was his name again?”

“Theo.” Hux mumbled under his breath and he took another large gulp of scotch – hell he needed it.

“Yeah, he was a douche. An edgy douche at that. And the guy before Theo. His name also escapes me, but didn’t he play in that weird ass grunge band you took me to see that one summer? He was the guy with all the tattoos and piercings. Also an edgy douche. This Kylo guy sounds like another edgy douche you’ve had the pleasure of meeting and will probably end up banging.”

Phasma took a sip of her drink and eyed Hux over the rim of the glass as she did so. Her eyes were full of challenge that were daring Hux to say otherwise.

“I will not end up _banging_ Kylo Ren.” Hux stated, his nose crinkling in disgust. “Out of all the edgy douche’s I’ve met he’s the douchiest and my standards in men has gone up since my last romantic relationship thank you very much.”

Phasma snorted, but said nothing more as she reached for another piece of calamari. Hux could tell she was not convinced and his previous track record certainly did him no favours, but he was determined to not fall in love with Kylo Ren. The man was an insufferable prick. At least the other men Hux had dated did not go out of their way to rile him up. They had been edgy douches, as Phasma had so delicately put it, but they were certainly way better than Kylo Ren – weren’t they? He didn’t answer that question and instead focused on the stage at the far end of the bar.

The bar owner was stepping up to the mic, to introduce the musician who would be entertaining them tonight no doubt, and a hush fell across the patrons of the bar. Some whispers here and there speculated who the mystery musician was going to be tonight, but other than that the bar had fallen silent.

“Tonight we have quite a treat lined up for you all.” The bar owner stated, smiling out to the crowd who was now intently watching him. “We are joined by none other than the lead vocalist of a former band known as the Knights of Ren.”

Phasma sent Hux a knowing look and Hux felt a trill of excitement dance across his spine. At one point in his life, he had been a rather adamant fan of the band known as the Knights of Ren and Phasma knew this. They had been a band known in the circles of people who enjoyed gritty grunge music a few years back, but the band had all but vanished after their short stint of fame had died down. Rumor had it the band had broken up, but it was hard to know as the music group had been rather mysterious to begin with. They always wore masks when they played, even the lead vocalist had worn a partial mask to cover most of his face. Their names were never released either, they all had used some sort of alias and if Hux remembered correctly the lead singer had simply called himself Lord Ren.

So it obviously thrilled Hux to no end to know the musician playing tonight was a former member of one of his favorite bands – and the lead vocalist no less. Maybe tonight would not be so bad after all. The crowd had broken into a hushed murmur as obviously a few patrons were aware of the name of the band this man was a part of. The room fell silent once again when the owner raised his hand for silence.

“Now, will you please welcome Kylo Ren of the Knights of Ren onto the stage!” The bar owner boomed, clapping his hands and everyone followed suite. Well everyone but a certain stunned Hux and a now furiously laughing Phasma. None other than Kylo Ren strutted onto stage with a black and slightly worn guitar in his hands. He took a seat on the stool that was prepared for him on stage and pulled the mic closer to him in preparation to play.

The room fell silent once again except for the small chuckles Phasma was still emitting as she tried to recompose herself. Hux sent her a glare and that shut her up pretty quick, but she still watched Hux with a twinkle in her eyes that stated she knew that this Kylo Ren on stage was the same man that Hux was rooming with – as if her laughter already hadn’t alerted Hux to the fact. Hux scowled at the stage and wondered why everything seemed to be out to hate him today.

Kylo fucking Ren, the annoying man who seemed to love to push his buttons, was the lead singer of one of his favorite bands. If this had been his first time laying eyes on Kylo then he would have probably been excited and impressed by the man he saw, but sadly this was not the case and all Hux could feel was mildly repressed anger. How dare Kylo Ren be the lead vocalist of the Knights of Ren. It could have been anyone in the world, but it had to be Kylo Ren.

“Hello everyone,” Kylo stated, a small smile touching his features. The smile caught Hux’s attention. He had never seen Kylo with such a content expression like that in the short stint of time he had known him. “I haven’t played in front of a crowd in a while so go easy on me please.”

This gained some small chuckles from the crowd. Kylo started playing some haunting tune and instantly everyone was drawn into the music – even Hux. Despite himself, Hux found he was following along with every chord and each melody. Something about the way Kylo was playing had everyone hanging on his every note and Hux found himself not minding. Instead he gave himself to the music and found himself swaying slightly along with the beat. In that moment, he did not care if Phasma was watching or if Kylo had noticed his presence in the bar, he just let himself slip away in the sound and felt his previous frustrations slip away.

It was not until the song ended that Hux realized how absorbed he had been in the music and he snapped out of his trance feeling disgusted at how easily Kylo and his music had absorbed him. Phasma, of course, had noticed his lack of control and was now smirking at him over her glass. He scowled at his hands which were resting in his lap as everyone in the bar clapped excitedly when the song had ended. With a loud huff, Hux snatched up his glass to drain the last of it and waved a waiter over to refill his drink once again and, as Kylo started playing his next song, Hux could not help but slowly drift away in the rhythm once again.

Oh he was so fucked.

\------

Hux dragged himself up the stairs to him and Kylo’s apartment and fumbled for the keys that would open the door to room 2D. He was more than slightly drunk and more than slightly frustrated. His whole day had been a string of disappointments and he felt a great wish to punch something or someone. Correction: he felt a great wish to punch Kylo Ren.

That man had been the reason behind many of his frustrations. First, he worked at the same place Hux did, second, he was Hux’s new boss, and third, he was the lead vocalist of a band Hux had once loved. Yes _once_ loved, he now hated the Knights of Ren for the sole reason Kylo Ren was in it. It was a valid reason to hate a band if he did say so himself.

As Hux entered the apartment, he was not surprised to find Kylo still awake and clambering about the kitchen as he tried to make hell knows what. In that moment, Hux felt his anger build into an uncontrollable inferno as he stared at the tall man who was still wearing the too tight pants he had worn while playing at the Finalizer. Maybe it was his drunkenness or maybe it was his rage, but whatever it was caused Hux to enter his unrefined and accusatory mode as he hurled insults at the younger man.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Hux asked as he strode over to where the man was rooting through the cabinets – inevitably messing up Hux’s organized cabinet storage system. Kylo looked back at Hux, stopping his search for a second before returning to look for whatever he was looking for.

“I’m making some eggs, now where the heck did you put the frying pan?”

“That’s not what I meant!” Hux all but yelled.

Now he had Kylo’s attention. The tall man straightened and turned to face Hux and his expression boasted of confusion and curiosity with some annoyance mixed in. He tiled his head as he examined Hux.

“Are you drunk Hux?” he asked, but Hux did not respond to his question and went right into the rant he had been formulating in his muddled mind.

“When I said what the hell are you doing, I meant why the hell are you messing up my life you utter twat! First you seem nice enough when you offered to let me room with you, I mean you had the underlying sarcasm, but still it seemed manageable. All is fine for the first few weeks but then you go and freak out over me trying to make you follow the proper etiquette for organizing cutlery and then all goes to hell! And if rooming with you isn’t bad enough, it turns out we work at the same café so now I cannot even escape you at my part-time job! Then, as if that isn’t bad enough, you appear in the bar I usually frequent with your fucking guitar and claim to be the lead singer of one of my favorite bands!” Hux let out a dark chuckle as he pressed a hand to his forehead, his expression borderline delirious. “What have I ever done to deserve this?”

Kylo did not respond and Hux watched as his expression flitted through annoyance, shock, pleasure, and confusion before his mouth curved into a frown.

“You were there? You saw me play?” Kylo asked, his voice rising a pitch for a split second.

“Yes I was there Kylo! Did you even listen to a word I said!? Or are you that stupid?” Hux responded, throwing his hands up in the air in annoyance.

“Hux calm down, you are just drunk.” Kylo stated, trying to keep his tone neutral and failing – the underlying frustration was there.

Hux snorted.

“Calm down? _Calm down_? You come in and trample on my life and you are trying to tell me to calm down?” He let out another ragged bark of laughter and then a low growl as he pushed Kylo in the chest with his hands. “Fuck you Kylo Ren, you and your stupid sarcasm and ability to rile me up. Fuck you and your management position. And fuck you and your damn guitar skills and ability to look good in tight jeans.”

Kylo was taken aback by the final comments and instead of anger, something like shock stuttered across his features.

“You like my playing? And think I look good in tight jeans?” Kylo asked, rolling over all of Hux’s previous insults.

Hux snarled and attempted to push Kylo in the chest with his hands yet again, but this time Kylo snatched Hux’s small hands and smothered them with his.

“Let me go!” Hux hissed, trying to twist away but failing.

“Answer the question!”

“Fine! Sure I think you can play well and you look good in tight jeans. Heck you look good in that emo crap you choose to wear! I don’t know how you fucking do it, but you can pull it off. Damn you, why do you have to be so fucking attractive. Now will you let me--?”

Hux’s words were stopped by the pressure of lips on his and suddenly Kylo was pulling him closer and closer until Hux thought he could drown in him. He could no longer string together a coherent thought and he really wanted to blame that on the alcohol, but this time it certainly wasn’t the liquor that was causing his brain to be muddled. No, it was more to do with the lips that were currently smothering his own. He moaned into the kiss, surprising himself with his own lack of control.

As they both pulled away, Hux found the edges of his vision narrowing and this effect he knew was related to the liquor. Before his world could go dark, Hux looked up at Kylo who was currently breathing heavily and watching him with dilated pupils. He closed his eyes and tried to ingrain that image of Kylo in his head for no other reason than it caused him great pleasure to see and he wanted to remember it when he awoke after his drunken blackout. Kylo seemed to realize what was happening as he cupped Hux’s cheek mumbling no over and over again and as Hux fell into the younger man’s broad chest he uttered his final words of that evening:

“Fuck you Kylo Ren.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hux is in denial help him. Also I may end up upping the ratings in the next chapters ahah.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed things from Hux's POV. You can say hi to me on [tumblr](http://theriseofthefirstorder.tumblr.com/) if ya want.


End file.
